2 dead, thousands without power as storm lashes US

Washington, May 16 (IANS): At least two persons have been killed and hundreds of thousands left without power as a powerful storm pummelled the Northeast US with drenching rain, golf-ball-sized hail and damaging winds.

A man in Connecticut was killed when a tree fell on his truck. Fallen trees blocking the roads forced rescuers to use a boat to reach the man, who had died before they could arrive, Fox News reported.

An 11-year-old girl in New York was killed when strong winds sent a tree crashing onto the car she was unloading with her mother. The girl’s mother suffered minor injuries.

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton told local residents to stay indoors. It was estimated that 108,000 homes were without power on Tuesday night, the Hartford Courant daily reported.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency in Putnam, Dutchess, Orange and Sullivan counties. He deployed 125 members of the National Guard to help remove toppled trees and debris, repair downed power lines and assist with traffic control across the state.

“New York has once again withstood the fury of mother nature and now is the time for the state and our local partners to get communities throughout the Mid-Hudson region up and running again,” Cuomo said.

Possible tornadoes were sighted and more than 130,000 customers lost power. Lightning strikes and fallen electrical wires led to fires in New Jersey.

As many as 62,000 customers were reported overnight to have lost power across the state, according to New Jersey.com.

Washington DC and Maryland were hit with major flooding and remained under a flash flood watch overnight, FOX5 DC reported.

Schools across much of the effected Northeast cancelled Wednesday’s classes as roads remained impassable.